The Artists

• Artistes Invités / Guest Artists

  Phllippe Trépanier (Replace Sébastien Soldevila)
  Antonio Vargas (Replace Samuel Tétreault)
  Faon Shane (Replace Evelyne Allard)
  Adam Kuchler (Replace Patrick Léonard)

• Evelyne Allard

  After a few years of gymnastic training, Evelyne enrolled in Montreal’s Ecole Nationale de Cirque at the age of 17. Upon graduation from their intensive three-year program, she joined Cirque du Soleil for the creation of Corteo, where she performed an innovative aerial chandelier act and toured North America for two years. Shortly after her departure from Corteo she joined Cirque Eloize and toured for another two years in their newest production, Nebbia, working beside Corteo director Daniele Finzi Pasca for a second time. Now with 7 Fingers, Evelyne joins the original founding members on stage in La Vie, bringing her extensive performing experience and her fluid grace in the air to a whole new apparatus, the aerial chains.

• Emilie Bonnavaud

  Though Emilie Bonnavaud is a relative newcomer to the 7 Fingers she has close ties to the group. Namely, her and “finger” Sebastien Soldevila were partners in Sport Acrobatics from 1992 – 1997, where they hailed as French National Champions in mixed pairs for all five of those years, as well as performing sixth in the World Championships (1996) and fourth in the European Championships (1996). Fresh from these stunning accomplishments, Emilie was recruited by the Cirque du Soleil in 1998, where she performed for 5 years, first with Saltimbanco (1998 – 2001) and then with the brand new production of Ka (2003 – 2005), Cirque du Soleil’s permanent show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Emilie was part of the original cast of Ka and took part in the creation process, working under the direction of famed theatre director Robert Lepage.
  Emilie’s extensive gymnastic and acrobatic training made her a prime candidate to learn any acrobatic apparatus thrown her way, and during her years at Cirque du Soleil she performed a wide variety of acts, from Chinese pole to Russian Swing, bungees, Russian bar and even such obscure disciplines as Chinese finger puppetry.
  Emilie’s integration into the cast of the 7 Fingers in 2005 marked the reunion with partner Sebastien, as they perform duo acrobatics together on the 7 Finger stage for the first time in 7 years. In 2007, Emilie and her partner Sebastien won the gold medal at the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in Paris for their dynamic hand to hand act choreographed by Shana.

• Isabelle Chassé

  At five, Isabelle drew a picture of a trapeze artist and stated this was what she wanted to be. At eleven, she found an ad in the local newspaper for a circus school and asked her mother if she could go.
  The determined Quebec-countryside girl was quickly placed into an intensive contortion program at the National Circus School of Montreal. After two years, Isabelle joined Cirque du Soleil as part of a contortion act with three other girls. The quartet received gold medals at the Festival de Monte Carlo and the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Domain de Paris, and many other awards; and appeared The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Good Morning America, and many more.
  In 1997, Isabelle explored solo work and a new apparatus, developing a contortion act on aerial silks for Cirque du Soleil’s Quidam.
  Curious about many art forms, Isabelle participated in films Satie and Suzanne (Gold Medal, New York Film Festival; Grammy Nomination) and Martyrs (as ‘’The Creature!’’).
  Upon co-founding Les 7 doigts de la main, she has worked as a performer and co-creator on Loft and La Vie; assistant director and guest performer on Psy; and an artistic leader on The Fibonacci Project.
  An avid gardener, Isabelle recently completed a degree in Horticulture.

• Krin Haglund

  After graduating from Smith College, Krin attended the Clown Conservatory in San Francisco, trained aerial and classical circus arts at Circus Center, and performed with the New Pickle Circus for two seasons. Krin grew up in Madison, Wisconsin.
  Krin Maren Haglund works with many of today’s most exciting circus and cabaret troupes. She is an original cast member of Cirque Eloize’s “Rain”, which has performed to sold-out crowds in New York, Paris, Moscow, and Seoul. At Eloize Krin became the first woman to perform on the Cyr wheel and won acclaim as “Rain’s deft comedianne.”
  Krin is currently touring with the Melbourne-based Cirque “La Clique,” where her tissue routine has been praised as “dynamic, expressive and original…lampoons the ridiculous stereotypes that define femininity.” Krin often performs with the rock band The Dresden Dolls, sometimes as the Mistress of Ceremonies and is featured on their new DVD “Live at the Roundhouse.” In March 2008 Krin joins Montreal’s “The 7 Fingers” for their production La Vie in New Zealand.

• Patrick Léonard

  Despite four consecutive titles as Canadian Artistic Roller Skating Champion, Patrick rejected a life of glory to pursue a bachelor’s in chemistry. However, he could not suppress his ever-lingering passion for performing, and he soon abandoned his mad scientific career for the equally mad world of circus.
  After training at Montreal’s National Circus School, Patrick performed as a comic character and diabolo artist at the Montreal Casino; in German cabarets Wintergarten Variete, Freidrichbau Variete, and Pomp Duck and Circumstance; in Teatro Zinzanni; and in the traditional Cirque Knie.
  Upon co-founding Les 7 doigts de la main in his native Quebec, Patrick has received special recognition for his comic performances (Newcomer Award, Montreal Mayor’s Foundation; Prix Nikouline, Festival Mondiale du Cirque de Demain de Paris). He co-created and performs in Loft and La Vie and collaborates in the Fibonacci Project. His love for creative projects leads him as a conceptor and performer for many events and projects, including the co-creation of the parapeze, a trapeze on a hang-glider.
  In 2010 Patrick began creation for a solo show, currently under the working title of Patinoire.
  Patrick’s proudest creations are his two daughters.

• DJ Pocket

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  Pocket started his DJ career in the late 80s. In 1982 he fell in love with hip hop at a Rock Steady Crew (with D.J. DST) concert. This art form so fascinated him that he transformed from mime into break dancer and from percussionist into human beat box. In 1988, after seeing DJ Cash Money in concert, Pocket bought 2 Technics SL 1200 turn-tables and a DJ mixer. The same year, Pocket performed a comic vocal show in Montreal’s Just for Laughs Festival. He went on to perform this solo show over 1000 times over the next 5 years. From 1993 to 1996, he produced and animated Godzilla, a weekly underground comic cabaret.
  In 1997, DJ Pocket won 2 prizes (originality and crowd reaction) at the D.M.C. International Scratch Contest in Montreal. He collaborated on albums with several recording artists (Marc Déry, Les Colocs, Chasse Galerie, etc.), with whom he also toured Canada, and produced the Raoul et les Raoulettes’ album at his recording studio. In 2003, he DJ’ed on the Radio-Canada weekly TV show Palmares.
  DJ Pocket has been with Les 7 doigts de la main since their inception, performing non-stop alongside them, and contributing enormously to their creative development.

• Sébastien Soldevila

  Well advanced in his studies in biochemistry, Sebastien would most likely have become a doctor had he not been so passionate about acrobatics. Growing up, the voracious athlete delved in trampoline, diving, acrobatic skiing, tumbling with the French Junior National Team, and sports acrobatics, where he and partner Emilie Bonnevaud maintained the title of French National Champions in Mixed Pairs fours years in a row.
  After working as a choreographer for the Dutch National Team, Sebastien was recruited to perform in Cirque du Soleil’s Saltimbanco.
  Upon co-founding Les 7 doigts de la main in 2002, Sebastien joined forces with Patrick Leonard to create an award-winning duo (Prix Nikouline, Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain de Paris), since performed on over 15 television programs around the world.
  In 2007, he and Emilie Bonnevaud developed a new hand-to-hand act, choreographed by Sebastien’s wife and fellow 7 doigt Shana Carroll. The act won the gold medal at the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain de Paris and has since been presented over – times.
  Sebastien co-created and performs in La Vie (as Master of Ceremonies) and Loft. He coaches acrobatics with many 7 doigt shows and at the National Circus School of Montreal.
  A native of Paris, Sebastien lives with his family in Montreal.

• Samuel Tétreault

  Montreal native Samuel passed by a number of ambitions as a child—racecar diver, hockey goalie—before settling on hand-balancing and enrolling at Montreal’s National Circus School at 14, where he studied for seven years.
  His solo hand-balancing act debuted to receive immediate international recognition (Silver, Festival Mondial de Cirque de Demain de Paris; Bronze, Acrobatic Art Festival of Wu Qiao China). After performing throughout the world, (including 1500 shows with Cirque du Soleil Alegria), Samuel returned to Montreal in 2002 to co-found Les 7 doigts de la main.
  Possessing a dual nature of both an organized leader and a creative artist, Samuel immerses himself in many projects. Passionate about multidisciplinary creation, he dedicates much of himself to Les 7 doigts’ Fibonacci Project, of which he is Artistic Director. He can be seen on stage with Les 7 doigts in Loft and La Vie.
  Finally, among other achievements, Samuel holds the Second Place World Record for a ten-meter one-arm race in Japan!